Book Review: "The Severed Streets" by Paul Cornell

Political protests. A possible strike of the London police force. An invisible killer, murdering high profile officials in a way that imitates Jack the Ripper. A group of policemen trying to solve the case by infiltrating London's magic users underground. And Neil Gaiman. All of that and more can be found in the pages of Paul Cornell's latest book, "The Severed Streets".

I haven't read Cornell's "London Falling", his debut novel and the book that first introduced James Quill and his squad of cops solving supernatural crimes in London, but I jumped at the chance to review the "sequel". I'm familiar with Cornell's work in comics, read nothing but high praise for the first book, and all that was enough to pique my interest.

As it turns out, "Severed Streets" does reference the events of the previous book quite a bit. It can be confusing at first, but not so much that you wouldn't get the gist of it and be able to enjoy the novel on its own.

Quill and his crew (Costaine, Sefton and Ross) are London cops who have gained an ability known as The Sight. Whether it's a gift or a curse, the fact is that it allows them to see and feel the supernatural side of London. Places and people that are invisible to the average Londoners, ghosts, magical creatures and all sorts of other things that they sum up as simply "the London shit". When several people fall victim to a murderer nobody can see, it is up to Quill's team to solve the case.

"Severed Streets" is a fascinating mix of a gritty crime novel and things that wouldn't seem out of place in the "Harry Potter" series. The concept of "another" London, visible only to a chosen few, is solid ground for Cornell's new book series, and the author makes the most out of using the premise in incredibly imaginative ways. Since the characters only got "The Sight" recently (on the pages of the first book), we get to learn all about London's supernatural side through them, as they investigate the string of "the Ripper murders", as the media dubbed them.

The protagonists of "Severed Streets" are a likeable and well-developed bunch. They are all very different from each other, with different traits and different specialties, and they are written in a very believable way - all this weird London... stuff... is new to them and they react to it the way you or I would. Quill's team and its purpose (solving the supernatural crimes) is kept secret from the rest of the London police (who obviously wouldn't even believe it, if they knew about the supernatural side of their city). That's possible only because their boss, Detective Superintendent Lofthouse, has her own, very secret, reasons to believe in the Sight and the magic in London. All of it makes for a very interesting dynamic between the lead characters.

The villain of the piece, the being who may or may not be the ghost of Jack the Ripper, is also quite interesting. From the fact that it can phase through walls, to it being impossible to anybody but the victim and those with the Sight, makes it a formidable foe. The villain also wears the same "Toff" mask that the protesters wear (something like the V for Vendetta/Anonymous mask, I'd imagine), which makes the monster blend in with the crowds of London during the unstable times the book takes place in.

These are not the only interesting characters. The enigmatic Rat King, who is neither human nor ghost, is one of the most interesting beings on London's supernatural "scene". I mentioned Neil Gaiman in the intro to this article, and yes, he's also a character in the book. To talk too much about his role in these events would spoil things, but you can trust me that it's highly amusing.

"Severed Streets" was a big surprise for me. It's unlike anything I've read, it's fast-paced, exciting and very imaginative, and all the events lead to an incredibly well crafted climax. I highly recommend you pick it up, but you should probably check out "London Falling" first. If "Severed Streets" is anything to go by, the first book should be just as good. In fact, I'm going to pick it up at the first occassion.

“The Severed Streets” is out now and you can get it from the Pan Macmillan website, or at a book store near you. Did this interview pique your curiosity in Cornell's new series? Let us know in the comments!